Sunday, October 15, 2017

Harvey Weinstein Raped Horror Actress Lysette Anthony

British actress Lysette Anthony has
told police that Harvey Weinstein raped her, the Sunday Times
reported, becoming the fifth woman to level such accusations against
the disgraced Hollywood mogul.

The 54-year-old actress, who currently
appears in British soap Hollyoaks, told Metropolitan Police last week
that she had originally met Weinstein in New York, and agreed to meet
him later at his rented house in London, according to the paper.

"The next thing I knew he was half
undressed and he grabbed me. It was the last thing I expected and I
fled," she told the Times.

Anthony, who appeared in Woody Allen's
1992 film "Husbands and Wives", said that Weinstein then
began stalking her, turning up unannounced at her house.

"He pushed me inside and rammed me
against the coat rack," she said of the attack in the 1980s. "He
was trying to kiss me and shove inside me. Finally I just gave up."

Weinstein has denied all allegations of
nonconsensual sex.

Anthony first came to my attention when
she played Angelique Bouchard in the short-lived 1991 Dark Shadows
remake. While Anthony is not especially known as a scream queen, her
extensive body of work (she has 89 acting credits on IMDB) does
include many horror films and TV shows.

My favorite horror work by Anthony is
Trilogy of Terror II (1996), in which she played the lead role in all
three tales of that horror anthology sequel. This was in the
tradition of Karen Black playing the lead in all three of the
original Trilogy of Terror's stories.

The original is justly considered a
horror classic and Black's performance was a tough act to follow. But
while the remake is little remembered, Anthony's performance was a
worthy successor to Black's. Especially in "Bobby" (the middle story), wherein
Anthony plays a mother who turns to witchcraft in an attempt to resurrect
her dead son. By all means, watch it.

Horror is a tight-knit community,
composed of passionate fans. Although all of Weinstein's victims
should be supported, reading about Anthony felt personal, as though
"one of our own" was attacked. Let's hope Anthony and the
other women find peace and justice.